Hottest Actresses On TV

24 Awesome Actresses You Need To Start Binge-Watching Immediately

Depending on whom you ask, we're in a "Golden Age of Television." Twenty years ago your choices were limited to fare on the big networks, like NBC, CBS, FOX and ABC, and the occasional upstart like UPN. Now, in addition to the big networks, there's AMC, HBO, Netflix, the CW, FX, Amazon and more.

That's giving access an opportunities to new generations of talented actors and actresses to gain prominence like never before. We're taking a look at the latter, highlighting 20+ sexy and talented women who are making the screen a better place by their presence. These women are on the rise, and we're hoping you'll get a few new ideas for your next series or season to binge watch. That means less about Emilia Clarke, Natalie Dorner, Elisha Cuthbert or Lauren Cohan, and more about a few names that might have slipped under your radar. But we don't think you'll mind.

Annet Mahendru (The Americans)

The Americans

The Indian-Russian actress quite frankly began stealing every episode of the FX show The Americans she stars in. Using her incredible language skills to play the Russian KGB agent Nina, she can make 1980s Soviet style look sexy like nobody else and showcases vulnerability and serious cunning in every scene. You can catch all three seasons of her.

Aja Naomi King (How To Get Away With Murder)

How To Get Away With Murder

Does the world need another legal drama? Probably not, but then so long as Aja Naomi King is in it, we're not going to complain. The How To Get Away With Murder co-star is coming back for a second season as Michaela Pratt, an ambitious young lawyer wrapped up in a murder plot.

Nicola Petz (Bates Motel)

Bates Motel

The 20-year-old Nicola Peltz has been turning heads playing Bradley Martin on A&E's Bates Motel. She's no longer on the show, but we won't tell you why (although if you know what the show's about, you can probably guess), but in any case you've got a few seasons to watch with her in it.

Emmy Rossum (Shameless)

Shameless may have flown a bit under the radar since it began in 2011, but that's no fault of the magnetic Emmy Rossum, who plays Fiona Gallagher, the daughter of loser alcoholic Frank Gallagher living in Chicago. Her complex portrayal of the character is definitely one to watch.

Veronica Echegui (Fortitude)

Fortitude is one of a new crop of quality British shows that are hoping to follow Downton Abbey and (to an extent) Broadchurch in breaking into the American market. If it does, it'll be in large part thanks to beautiful madrileñaVerónica Echegui, who plays Elena Ledesma. The sex scene in the first episode (spoiler!) is a hook for future audiences, but she also quickly establishes herself as a character not to be messed with.

Serayah McNeil (Empire)

Can Empire repeat its incredible Season 1 success in season 2? It'll be a tough proposition. But the larger-than-life hip-hopera has a talented cast to pull it off, including Serayah McNeil, playing Tiana. Hakeem doesn't know how lucky he is...

Jaimie Alexander (Blindspot)

Rising star Jaimie Alexander is now getting a starring role in her own drama on NBC. The network's synopsis runs like this: "A beautiful woman is found naked in Times Square, covered in fresh tattoos and with no idea who she is." We like the sound of that already. You can't binge-watch this one yet, but you'll soon be able to.

Jessica Parker Kennedy (Black Sails)

Black Sails

Black Sails initially made a splash with its YouTube release, but it's Jessica Parker Kennedy who might just have kept many of the eyeballs coming back for more. The Canadian actress depicts a prostitute and has us interested in the fate of 18th century pirates in New Providence like never before.

Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend)

Comedian Rachel Bloom is set to star in the upcoming comedy musical (!) Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on the CW, which takes a lighthearted look at a woman who is either romantically trying to rekindle love with a former flame, or is nuts, depending on how one looks at it.

Karen David (Galavant)

Galavant

We're not going to lie; much like ABC's Once Upon A Time, Galavant looks lto be more suited towards women than men. BUT... if you are a fan of fairy tale fantasy, or musical comedies, or beautiful Indian actresses, then you should check it out, if only for Karen David's performance as Princess Isabella, who helps Galavant take on evil King Richard.

Mallory Jansen (Galavant)

Danielle Panabaker (The Flash)

CW's streak of producing new, compelling TV continued when managed to spin off The Flash from The Arrow, making two TV shows set in the same DC comics universe. Danielle Panabaker's girl next door portrayal as the subject of an oh-so-believable crush from main character Barry Allen (aka the Flash) give the show much of its tension and makes it that much more compelling.

Constance Wu (Fresh Off The Boat)

ABC's groundbreaking Fresh Off The Boat sitcom puts Asian Americans in greater prominence on a network comedy than they've ever had, but the success of the show owes much to Constance Wu, who plays the inadvertently hilarious Jessica Huang.

Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries)

The Vampire Diaries

We're breaking the rules a bit here, in that you all already probably know who the stunning Nina Dobrev is. Still, the Bulgarian-Canadian actress, who just left Vampire Diaries after six seasons, is always worth a rewatch.

Maria Avgeropoulos (The 100)

Fans of the post-apocalyptic drama The 100 on the CW network have kept their eyes on the Greek-Canadian actress, who plays Octavia. One of the earliest characters to have been flushed out by the series, you can binge-watch her for seasons 1 and 2 before catching her on season 3.

Chloe Bennet (Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D)

Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D

Chloe Bennet's life is almost as interesting as the superhero, Skye, she plays on TV. Bennet, whose original name was Wang, actually moved to China as a teenager to start a Mandarin-language singing career. She came back though to try her hand at acting, and we're happy she did.

Caity Lotz (Arrow)

Caity Lotz was introduced to a lot of fans on Mad Men, where she starred only occasionally but played a massive role in the series. In Arrow, she plays Sara Lance as The Canary, a role she'll be reprising (albeit in a modified form) in the show's spinoff, Legends Of Tomorrow.

Lyndsy Fonseca (Marvel's Agent Carter)

Marvel

Continuing our these of beautiful actresses on superhero shows, the Portuguese-descended Lyndsy Fonseca turns heads as Angie Martinelli, helping flush out the portrait of 1940s America in several key scenes.

Hayley Atwell (Marvel's Agent Carter)

Christian Serratos (The Walking Dead)

The Walking Dead

This one's cheating a bit, because fans of The Walking Dead know all about Christian Serratos. After playing a bit role in the doomed efforts to reach D.C and save the remnants of humanity, she became a regular cast member in season 5. Will she survive season 6? We give about a 50/50 chance.

Alexis Bledel (Mad Men)

She wasn't a major character, but she was a memorable one on Mad Men, playing Beth Dawes, the lonely wife of an insurance salesman. Like all long-running shows, Mad Men lost a few fans along the way, but if there's anything that could get a prodigal son to return to the later seasons it might be the Dawes-Pete Campbell storyline, including of course, Pete's office fantasy.

Ruby Rose (Orange Is The New Black)

Ruby Rose's incredible personality and backstory would make her compelling on her own; toss in her acting chops and compelling portrayal of Stella Carlin on one of TV's best shows, and you've got an easy inclusion here.

Annie Q. (The Leftovers)

The Leftovers

HBO's The Leftovers may not (yet) have hit the massive heights of their flagship shows Game of Thrones and True Detective, but it's more than worth watching for its eerie premise and unique post-apocalyptic plot. And also for Annie Q., who adds to the general mystery of the show with a catchy turn as Christine.